Katie's Girl
by gufis253
Summary: The Team's lives are turned upside down when a very familiar little girl walks into NCIS one night. This is Kaye's story. Eventual Tiva/Jibbs/McAbby. Real story begins immediately after Honor Code.
1. Chapter 1

A/N-So, here it is. The reworking of my **very** old story, "Katie's Girl". I decided to start from scratch. I like to stick to basic canon as much as possible, and weave my story around the events of the show. I would rather add my story on top, rather than rewrite what has already happened.

Disclaimer-I don't own NCIS, or anything CBS claims is theirs. Kaye and her piece of the story is all that is mine.

Prologue

The professor stood at the front of the room.

"Your major assignment for this course is to tell me your life story. You may include visuals, such as photos, or a family tree. You can include a calendar of major events in your life, a power point presentation, or you can go the old fashioned route and write it all down. This is _Self Exploration_. So, explore yourselves and tell me all about you. The final project will be worth 60% of your grade. Now, moving on…"

Kaye sat back and thought about her life. Her family was not a typical one, and she had experienced more in her short twenty years than most ever would. Over the years, she had absorbed Tim's love for story writing, and easily her decision was made. As she tuned out the professor's ongoing lecture on academic standing, she began to write at the top of the first page of her notebook.

_Katie's Girl_

_-A Not-So-Fictitious Novel-_


	2. Chapter 2

Zach had just been returned to his father. It was a generally happy ending, though Gibbs knew that the little boy's recent experiences would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Gibbs popped down to Abby's lab to make sure that she was all packed up and ready to go home to bed. He knew she hadn't slept much during the case and wanted to make sure she didn't wear herself out any more than she already had.

The elevator dinged at his arrival, and he was barely through the door of the lab when he was hit by a black and white blur. She wrapped him up in a giant bear hug.

"I'm going to miss that kid, Gibbs."

He smirked and replied, "Me too, Abbs. But he's got his dad back. He has a chance at a semi-normal life again."

"I know. It's great. I just hope he visits sometime."

As Abby pulled away to collect her belongings, Gibbs' phone rang out. Ziva's name flashed across the screen, and he answered.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

"Gibbs, you are needed up here right away."

"Ziva, I told you to go home. What's the problem?"

"I was _about_ to leave, _Gibbs_, when a woman with a little girl showed up asking for you. The woman says it is urgent. She only wants to talk to you."

"Damn it. Alright. I'll be right up. Don't let them out of your sight."

"Bye."

Gibbs slammed his phone shut, wondering who it was that was interrupting his evening. Abby looked curious. Usually Gibbs walked her out to her car, and she was waiting for him.

"Got some sort of a situation upstairs, Abbs. Hopefully it won't take too long. How about I get Ziva to walk you out and I'll drop by your place to say goodnight?"

"Sure, Gibbs. Works for me." She said with a sunny smile.

The two clamored into the elevator and Gibbs slammed the button for his floor, while he called Ziva back. He arranged for her to pack up her stuff and meet Abby at the elevator.

**10 minutes earlier**

"Roxy, why are we here?" The beautiful little girl asked as she climbed out of the car.

"I told you, already, Kaye. I love you to death, kid, but I got that job offer in Italy. I need to go there, and there just won't be any way that I can take care of you AND do my work."

Timidly, the little girl whispered, "I'd be good. I promise."

Roxy glanced down at her old friend's daughter. She had places to be and a life to live, but she really did love Kaye. She was a smart kid, absolutely gorgeous, and funny as hell, but she just couldn't take her to Europe with her.

"I know you would, baby, but it just won't work out. I was never cut out to be a mom. Why do you think I always just borrowed and spoiled _you_ when I felt like being around a kid? I love you, hon, but this is how things have to go. You're going to like them. Your mom adored them."

"But I don't even _know_ them!"

"Well, in a few minutes, that's all going to change."

As Ziva and Abby rode the elevator to the parking lot, Gibbs stormed into the bullpen, annoyed that someone was keeping him from going home. As he turned around the corner by Ziva's desk, he stopped dead in his tracks as a little brunette, no more than seven or eight, spun around on Ziva's chair to face him.

Instantly, he flashed back to a conversation he had had with a co-worker several years ago.

Kate stared silently over at her boss, trying to muster up the courage to ask the burning question that had been on her mind since the day she started NCIS.

"What's on your mind, _Kate_?" Gibbs asked loudly, startling her out of her reverie.

She took a deep breath and wheeled her chair over to his desk so that she could really talk to him.

"Why don't you ever talk about them?" she asked quietly.

He stopped writing mid-word, and Kate thought she almost heard him gasp.

"Don't know what you're talking about, _Katie_."

She winced. She was never really fond of that name, and he knew he could use it in the nicest way possible, which always made her smile, or as a weapon of mass destruction.

Slightly annoyed with his evasiveness, she replied, "Shannon and Kelly."

Gibbs looked straight at her. "How do you know?"

"I read up on everyone I knew I was going to be working with before I started here. I just read a little deeper than your cover story, Gibbs."

He looked deep into her eyes. Usually when someone wanted to know something about his personal life, it pissed him off. But in Kate's eyes, all he saw was a pure, almost innocent, curiosity. He could've gotten angry and told her to butt out and mind her own business, but he decided, as he often did with her, to go the nicer route.

"They were murdered. Sha…Shannon was going to testify against a drug lord. Kelly," he paused momentarily to keep his emotions in check. "Kelly just happened to be in the car."

"You still see them in everything, don't you?"

"Every day."

"How do you keep going, Gibbs? If Kaye…I-I…mean…."

Gibbs' questioning gaze shot up to meet her own instantly.

"Who's Kaye, Kate?"

She contemplated lying, but knew that with about as much digging as she did on him, he would find out the truth anyway, she caved.

"I have a daughter."

"What? Why didn't I know about this?"

"Nobody knows, Gibbs. I had her in '97. I was young and stupid, but she's the best thing that ever happened to me."

He nodded, thinking.

With a quick smirk, he replied, "Kaye? A little full of yourself, there? Just _had_ to name her almost identically to you?"

"Hey! My name is _actually_ Caitlyn Todd. It's just that everyone except for Ducky is lazy and shortens it to Kate. Kaye is a beautiful name, and it's all hers."

"I see." He smirked. He paused for a moment before asking his next question. "I have you here almost constantly. Who watches her?"

"An old college roommate of mine, Roxy, has been around since Kaye was born. She's a website designer, so she works from home. She takes Kaye when I'm working."

"Her father?"

"Some drunken frat boy who ran for the hills when the pretty little plus sign appeared. He's not even on her birth certificate."

Gibbs gently touched Kate's hand to calm her. She couldn't believe she was sharing this, her most precious secret, with anyone.

"What if something happens to you here? Does she go to your parents? Your brothers? Your sister?"

"No!" She yelled. "No. They don't even know about her. I wasn't in too much contact with my family when she was born, and I don't see them much, now, either. It has just always been easier to keep her from them. There's no telling how they'd treat her. My parents are strict Catholics. They find out that their little girl had a kid out of wedlock? They'd not only be pissed at me, but they might treat her like crap, too, and I won't have that. No, if something happens to me, she goes to Roxy."

"And if Roxy has her own life? Or she can't take care of Kaye?"

"Then I guess I better set up other arrangements."

They sat in an awkward silence for a few moments. Just as Kate was getting up to leave in frustration, Gibbs stopped her.

"Pictures?"

Kate stopped and smiled gently, nodding. "Yeah. A bunch. You?"

"Bring yours over here and let me see Kaye, and I'll show you Shannon and Kelly."

Gibbs stared at the little girl. She was the spitting image of Kate.

"Kaye?"

Kaye looked up at a confused Roxy before turning and staring at Gibbs.

"How do you know who I am?"

"Your mom told me about you, once upon a time. Figured I'd meet you eventually." He walked over to Roxy and pulled her to the far end of the bullpen. "I take it good old Katie decided I was a good enough backup in case you couldn't take her?"

"Something like that. I got a major job offer, but I'd be moving to Italy. I can't take her with me. She deserves a good, stable home in the area that she's always known. Kate wrote you a letter explaining everything. It has the lawyer's information and everything. She set it up so that if something happened to her and I couldn't keep Kaye, that she would go directly to you."

"So that's it? You're just handing her over to me? A little warning would've been nice, Roxy."

She winced under his glare. "Look, I've packed up all of her stuff in boxes, except for her bed. It was kinda falling apart anyways. I just need someone to come pick it up from my place. My flight to Italy leaves in three days. I guess I could take her home for the night, but then I need to run errands for the rest of the time that I'm still in the country."

Gibbs was angry. He was mad that Kate's little girl was being treated like this. He was pissed that all of this responsibility had just been dumped on him without him having time to prepare for the little girl.

"You take her back home with you tonight. I'll talk to her right now and tell her what's going to happen. We'll be by to pick her and her stuff up tomorrow morning at 0900."

"O-Okay."

Gibbs swiftly turned on his heel and walked over to where Kaye was sitting. He couldn't believe just how much she looked like Kate.

"Kaye, I'm Jethro Gibbs. You can call me whatever you want. I knew your mother very, very well. She was an amazing agent, and a truly wonderful woman. She wanted me to look out for you if something happened to her, so that's what's going to happen, okay?"

Kaye nodded. "Does that mean…does that mean I have to move and live with you?"

Gibbs smiled gently. "Yeah, kiddo, it does. Tonight, you're going to go back home with Roxy, okay? Have one more sleep in that house. Then, tomorrow morning, I'll be by with Tony-"

He was cut off by a quick squeal and a smile. "Tony? Mommy always talked about Tony! She said he was weird and funny but really, really annoying. But she really liked him! She drew pictures of him lots."

Gibbs smirked knowingly. "Yeah, _that_ Tony. I'll bring him with me to come and get you and all of your stuff, and we'll get you moved in tomorrow, alright? Think you can be brave for me and be ready for all of these changes tomorrow?"

Kaye sat up straighter and nodded decisively. "I'll be brave like my mommy."

Gibbs patted the girl on the shoulder before motioning for Roxy to take Kaye home for the night. Roxy handed him a large envelope packed with papers. As he saw them off, he looked back to Kate's old desk, reminiscing. His thoughts came to his current team and realized they had a lot to talk about. Pulling out his phone, he dialed a familiar number.

"Yeah, Duck. Sorry to bug you, but I need you to call the team. Everyone needs to be here asap. We have a situation on our hands. No-not a case. It's about Kate."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Wow, I haven't been able to write like this in a long time. I love it! I hope it keeps happening, so that I can keep updating! Thanks for the reviews, **finlaure**, **alix33**, and **Ncisluver**. You guys are awesome!

Disclaimer: I don't own the show. Or the pre-existing characters. Or the main concept of the series. If I owned things, I wouldn't be concerned with the lovely student loan that's accumulating right now.

As Gibbs awaited the onslaught of team members, he opened the envelope that Roxy had given him. In it were Kaye's birth certificate, a myriad of other important papers concerning Kaye, lawyer's information, banking information, and a smaller envelope with "Gibbs" written in Kate's handwriting on the front.

He slowly opened the letter and began to read.

_Gibbs,_

_I know we just had that talk about Kaye this week, but I felt the need to write this out and have everything ready and set up in case something happens to me. Our line of work is always dangerous, so I need to know that Kaye will be taken care of when I'm gone._

_If you are reading this, I'm dead. Probably some big heroic moment. (That or I fell down some stairs. Far more likely, knowing me.)_

_Roxy is a nice girl, Gibbs, but she can be unpredictable and unreliable at times. She's good with Kaye in the short term, but I don't know that she'll be able to deal with taking on a child full time. I told her that if she ends up with Kaye, and can't care for her, that she is to go straight to you._

_I know you owe me nothing, but if you could, take care of my baby for me. _

_I see the love in your eyes. I know, that if it came down to it, you will love my baby more than anyone._

_I have set up several trust funds for Kaye; the information is all attached. _

_Abbs, since I'm sure you've somehow gotten your hands on this, too, please help him. I want you to be the one she looks to when she needs a mom. You don't have to be her mother, but be there, the way you always have been for me. _

_Tony, I trust you to be the terrifying uncle. Scare the boys away; keep her safe. Teach her how to kick other peoples' butts. But if you EVER do anything stupid with my little girl, I give Gibbs full permission to give you such a hard headslap you won't be able to see anymore._

_McGee, help her with her homework. Be her confidante, the one she tells her secrets to. You're an amazing listener. _

_Ducky, you're on Grandpa duty. Tell her all of your stories. Teach her wrong and right. And give her your hugs all the time._

_Palmer, help her with her biology homework. And threaten a few boys while you're at it, too._

_Gibbs, this is just for you._

_I trust you completely, that no matter what happens to me, or whoever else, you'll love her the way you love your team. Be the daddy she never got. You're each other's second chance. Love her for me. And if you're getting this, it means I'm gone. Which means that no matter how it happened, you're still blaming yourself for it. Please don't. Because unless you shot me just because I was pissing you off, I don't blame you. Remember, I'll always be your Katie-girl. _

_I love you all very much._

_Take care of my baby._

_Love, Kate_

With a few tears in his eyes, and a gentle almost-smile on his face, he gently folded the letter back up and put it in the envelope once again.

Less than half an hour after Gibbs hung up with Ducky, the entire team was assembled before him, anxiously waiting to find out what was going on. Of course, the first thing on everyone's mind was "_Is she alive?"_, but they had seen her body. They knew it was impossible.

Abby finally got tired of waiting for Gibbs to start. "Gibbs! What's going on? Just tell us, already!"

Gibbs glanced around at each person's face. Abby was tearing up at the mention of Kate. McGee looked concerned and curious as he wrapped an arm around Abby to comfort her. Ducky looked pensive, and Ziva just looked lost. And then there was Tony. He knew that with the exception of Abby, Tony had been hit the hardest by Kate's death. She was his partner, his friend. And yeah, DiNozzo had had a little bit of a crush on the late agent, as well.

"There was something about Kate that none of you knew about," He started. "Before she started here, back in '97, Kate gave birth to a little girl. The girl's name is Kaye. Kate and an old college roommate of hers, _Roxy_," He said with venom, "raised her until Kate died. Roxy has had Kaye ever since. Now, Roxy has decided that she doesn't want the _hassle_ of taking care of an eight year old. She's moving to Italy in three days, and it looks like I'll be taking custody of Kaye."

"What?" Abby screeched. "Ka-Kate has a little girl? Have you seen her? Does she look like her? Does she talk like her? Gibbs! I need information! When's she coming? AH! What about her room?"

Gibbs took Abby's hand and smiled. "She's the spitting image of Kate. She's gone back home with Roxy for the night. Tomorrow morning Tony and I are going to go and pick her up with all of her belongings.

"Gi-!" Gibbs cut Abby off.

"Fine, you can come, too, Abbs."

"EEEE!"

"Tonight I need a few things. I need to go shopping for kid food and other basics. Abby, you're with me. McGee, I want to know everything about Roxy, Kate, Kate's family, and Kaye. Oh, and I want a list of the best places to get kids' furniture and toys. Oh, and get the lawyer on the phone. I want him down here no later than 0800. He's coming with us to pick up Kaye. Information's in this envelope." He handed Tony the papers. "Ducky, can you take Tony and Ziva to my place? I'm going to need that second bedroom cleaned up and ready for her for tomorrow."

Gibbs was glad that he had finally packed up all of Kelly's belongings and had hidden them up in the attic. All that was left in that room were some boxes of old junk, extra tools, and other stuff that could be transported to the basement.

"Just clean it out. Put everything in the back corner of the basement, vacuum, and wash the place down. Oh, and open the windows and air it out. Room hasn't been used for anything but storage in a long time."

"Alright, Jethro. It'll be clean by morning."

"I'm sorry that this is going to be a late night for all of us, but-"

Tony cut him off, finally able to speak after the shock of everything. "But it's for Kate. This little girl deserves the world, and we're going to give it to her. Let's move, people."

Gibbs looked on, proudly, as Tony got everyone going.

Taking Abby by the arm, Gibbs said quietly, "It's going to be just fine, right?"

"It'll be perfect."

Abby grinned.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**: Yeah, told you I would take forever to update. Always happens. Sorry! Anyways, I have this lovely thing called ADHD, which means that I always have this story in my mind, bits and pieces spanning several years, but I can never concentrate long enough to actually write the little scenes in my head down and post them. So, forgive me for that. But, here's another chapter, anyways. Enjoy!

*NCIS*NCIS*

After sending the rest of the team their separate ways, Gibbs told Abby he would just be a minute, as he headed up to the Director's office.

He walked straight in, unannounced, as always. Jenny didn't even bother looking up, knowing that only one person would be so rude.

"What do you want, Jethro?" she asked, in her ever-exasperated tone.

When he didn't respond right away and with his usual sarcasm, she looked up.

"Jethro?"

Gibbs looked at the redhead across from him. There had been a point in time that he had hoped to be raising a child _with_ her. The thought that it would never happen saddened him, and he was slightly taken aback at the fact that it still hurt after all this time.

Finally, he found his voice. "I, uh, have something to tell you."

Normally, she would have told him to spit it out, already, but something in his stance and tone told her to shut up. "What is it, Jethro?"

"Kate."

"Todd?"

"Yes."

"What about her?"

"She had a daughter."

"Really? I never knew, I'm sorry to hear that she left a child behind. Is she with her father?"

"No. She's, uh, she's with a friend of Kate's for now."

"I see. Jethro, why are you bringing this up?"

"Because. Kate's friend is leaving. I'm taking Kaye."

"Kaye being Kate's daughter, I assume? And what do you mean _taking_ her?"

"She'll be living with me, Jen. I'm going to be her legal guardian."

Jenny jumped up from her seat. Jethro Gibbs taking on a child? He was good with children, for sure, but really?

"What?"

"I just thought you should know. I have to pick her up tomorrow morning. I'm taking Abby and DiNozzo with me. The team's going to help me set up as best we can tonight, but I need you to take us off rotation for a few days. I have to get some things in order, and I'm going to need their help."

Jenny stuttered, not knowing exactly how to respond to the situation. "O-of course, Jethro. Consider it done. Let me know if I can do anything to help. Do you need extra hands tonight?"

She was busy, but she would make time for him if necessary.

"Naw, I think I've got everything covered for tonight. Might need a woman who has a broader color scheme than black or tan tomorrow, though. I want to let her do up her room however she wants, but I'm not sure Abby or Ziva's tastes are really appropriate for an eight-year-old."

"I'll come in early tomorrow. What time do you want me at?"

If he hadn't have been so preoccupied with figuring out the giant turn his life had just taken, he would have smirked and made a comment.

Instead, he just responded, "I don't know, maybe around one? Take her home, drop of her stuff, introduce her to the team, take her out for lunch, and then pick you up?"

"I'll make it work, Jethro."

"Alright. Uh, thanks."

She moved around her desk and came up to him. He was strong, and confident, often to the point of being downright cocky, but she could see insecurities through the mask tonight. He stiffened as she came closer, but as she gently wrapped her arms around him, he melted a little bit.

"Whatever happens, I have faith that you will do just fine. She's in good hands with you, Jethro. I always knew you would make a good father."

*NCIS*NCIS*

It was nearly midnight when Gibbs and Abby made it back to his house. McGee was still sitting on the couch, chugging coffee, and typing furiously on his laptop. He looked up when the door opened.

"Hey. How'd you guys do?"

Abby smiled and hopped over to him. "Well, we didn't know what her favorite color or food was or anything, so we basically just bought stuff to get her through the first day or so. We're going to take her shopping tomorrow to get what she likes. Guess what I _did_ find, though?"

McGee smirked tiredly at Abby's enthusiasm as she sat down practically on top of him. "What would that be?"

She shuffled through the large bag in front of her and pulled out a stuffed grey object. "It's Bertha!"

McGee burst out laughing as the grown woman in front of him made the brand new, pink bow-wearing, hippo, that was just slightly smaller than her own, fart loudly.

Gibbs looked on, smiling just a little, at Abby. She had always been his "little girl", but soon she would have to share that role, and he could see that she couldn't have been happier. As McGee offered to help bring in the groceries while Abby glanced over his research, Gibbs headed to dump several bags in the kitchen to be put away. There, he found Ducky sipping at a cup of tea.

"How's it going in there, Duck?"

Ducky looked up from the newspaper he had been perusing, and smiled at Gibbs. "Anthony was quiet at first, just moving the boxes. I had to explain to Ziva why. Once he had had some time to digest everything, though, the two of them were back to their usual bickering. I don't know how you put up with it. When I knew that they knew what to do, I finally left them to have some peace and quiet down here. Sometimes it seems as if you already have children around you, Jethro."

Gibbs let out a bark of laughter at Ducky's accurate observations. "That about covers it, Duck. Guess I won't be as out of practice as I thought."

"You'll do just fine, Jethro," Ducky mumbled as he pondered Gibbs' wording. Putting it off as nothing but an odd comment, he went back to the paper before him.

"This is it, Boss." McGee said as he brought in plenty more bags. "Where do you want all of this stuff?"

"Look around, McGee, you'll find places for it. I never have this much crap in my house. I'm going to go check up on Bonnie and Clyde up there to see how much trouble they've caused me."

McGee chuckled as he put away the Fruit Loops.

*NCIS*NCIS*

"Tony! Stop it! I don't want to smell like a spruce!" Ziva screeched.

"First off, it's _PINE_-sol, Ziva, so you'd smell like a _pine_. Second, you hit me with a rubber glove! Get over it!"

"You _get over it_, DiNozzo!"

Tony just turned away and smirked. She was definitely his favorite to pick on. With the exception of the failure at grasping American jargon, she often reminded him of another snarky woman from his life. He knew he couldn't wait to meet Kaye. He hoped she would resemble her mother. Kate had been more than a partner lost in the line of duty. She had been a friend. And deep beneath the partying, frat-boy exterior, some part of him had hoped that one day, they could have had a chance at being something more. But Kate was gone, and Ziva was here, and he was surrounded by friends that he cared deeply for. And tomorrow, well, tomorrow he would get to meet a little part of his fallen comrade, and be a part of her life for a long time.

He heard footsteps on the stairs that were too deliberate to be Ducky's or McGee's, so he went back to washing the windowsill. Part of him wondered about the faded pink hue of the room he was cleaning. Most of him knew not to ask.

"How's it going in here?" Gibbs deep voice rang out in the room. He stopped at the sight of the empty space. It had been a long time. The paint on the walls brought him back to a simpler, easier, time in his life. It hadn't been this clean since February of 1991. That thought gave him a pang in his chest. Well, the room would soon be full of life once again, and for that, he was grateful.

Ziva chirped up. "Almost done, Gibbs. Maybe just another vacuum and it'll be all ready for her."

"Yeah, Boss. Could use a bed, maybe a dresser. Definitely a new coat of paint or two, but I think it'll be perfect for a little girl soon enough." Tony said, that quiet, contemplative tone slipping back into his voice.

Ziva seemed to sense the mood shift and excused herself to go and check up on Ducky. Gibbs took the opportunity to speak to his oldest agent alone.

"I know you miss her, DiNozzo."

"I…she was my partner. Of course I miss her."

"Would you quit playin' games with me? I know what she meant to you. Whether you're ready to admit that to me, or even yourself, for that matter, I don't know. But I know that because of what Kate was to you, you will be an integral part in Kaye's life. I want you there for her, alright? Kate mentioned you, specifically, in the letter. She wants you to be there to protect Kaye. Be in her life. She's going to need all the family she can get. Anytime you want to see her, you're welcome to, alright?"

Tony looked up at his mentor, finally making eye contact. In a voice so low Gibbs had to strain to hear, he whispered, "Thanks, Boss. Means a lot."

And that was all that needed to be said.

*NCIS*NCIS*

Gibbs attempted to send everyone home by 0100, but neither Abby nor Tony would have any of it.

"Gibbs," she spouted. "We are picking her up in less than eight hours. Do you WANT us to scare her by looking like zombies because we had to drive all over the place just to get some sleep and be back in time?"

Tony smirked, but stayed silent. Abby was the favorite, he knew he was better off letting her fight this one for them both.

"Fine. Ziva, McGee, Ducky. Go home. Get some sleep. I've talked to the Director, already. We're off rotation for a few days, at least. Be here at, say, eleven, to meet her?"

They all agreed before saying their goodbyes and leaving. Once the rest were gone, he looked at the two who remained. It was true, out of all of the people in his life, these two seemed to stick. They were like kids that wouldn't grow up. He couldn't get rid of them if he tried. But he knew, he may not be able to keep going without them.

Tony immediately offered to take the floor so that Abby could have the single couch, but Gibbs stopped him.

"I'm going to go work on the boat. If I sleep, I'll take the couch. As long as you two can refrain from playing grab-ass in the middle of the night, you can share my bed. Or are you incapable?"

Abby grinned. "I'll keep my hands to myself, Gibbs!"

He looked to Tony. "Me, too. Scout's honor." Tony said while holding up a few fingers.

He shook his head and sent them up to sleep. As if he didn't know what they had gotten up to years ago. He was just glad _that_ little phase had ended before Kate had come along. He had enough trouble keeping Tony's hands off of Kate, he didn't need to be separating him from Abby, as well. Now, it seemed, Tony was rather preoccupied with Ziva, and Abby and McGee were still doing their little post whatever-the-hell-that-was jealousy dance. He knew he had nothing to worry about.

As Gibbs descended the stairs into the basement, he glanced at the pile of boxes now taking up one corner of the room. His life was about to change, again. But maybe this time, it would be for the better.


	5. Chapter 5

Gibbs woke to a gentle voice calling his name. His back was stiff, but not too bad, so he knew he was on the couch. He just couldn't figure out why Abby was…and then it all came rushing back to him. Kaye.

"Gibbs, it's 7:30. _You_ have to go shower and then we're picking up the lawyer and going to get Kaye. Tony and I are already showered and ready to go, and Tony's making breakfast. Jeez, Gibbs! You know you can't stay up late like this all the time when you have a kid in the house, right?"

If it had been anyone other than Abby, he probably would've smacked them for talking to him like that, but he just nodded and moved to get ready. As he showered, he went over the whole situation in his mind. In just over an hour, he would be signing the documents to become the legal guardian of an eight year old girl.

Eight years old. That's how old Kelly was the last time he saw her. This would all be new territory, even for him. He had cared deeply for Kate, and knew that he would love her little girl, as well, but how would she respond to him in the long run? Would they ever become some sort of a family, like he hoped? Or to Kaye, would he forever just be her dead mother's old boss? Gibbs continued down that path of thoughts as he dried off and dressed for the day. It wasn't until the three of them were climbing into his car, that his thoughts cleared.

Abby had noticed Gibbs' slowly darkening mood, and realized she needed to put an end to it. "Gibbs?"

He almost jumped at the break in silence. "Yeah, Abbs."

"It's going to be just fine."

Just fine. He smiled. Those words had been ringing out all night from those around him. Maybe it was time to believe them.

*NCIS*NCIS*

Kaye's life hadn't exactly been normal _before_ her mom had died. With the exception of the hours she spent in school every week, she was always with adults. Even her school was weird. She had excelled in pre-school and kindergarten, causing the principal of that school to recommend her to a "school for the gifted". In other words, she was either with people more than three times her age, or with nerds. The only good thing about her school was the fact that it actually challenged her. She got to use a computer constantly. By seven, she had far outdone her mother in that area.

She loved being at home, though. She would spend countless hours listening to her mom's stories of danger and intrigue from her days with the Secret Service and NCIS. Her stories were always _slightly_ altered, of course. Kate didn't always have the most time to spend with Kaye, but she did her best, and she was a great mom. Kaye always knew that she was loved, and that was all she needed.

And having Roxy around was fun. Though sometimes Kaye felt like _she_ was the one doing the babysitting, she found Roxy's artsy, wild side fun and entertaining. While her mom's stories were realistic and thrilling, Roxy's tales were bright, colorful, and almost wicked in nature.

But now, everything had changed. She remembered the day that Roxy picked her up from school in the middle of the day. Her mom always worked during the daytime, and Roxy was usually busy during school hours. It unnerved her when Roxy came to her classroom door and quietly told her to grab her things.

On the car ride home that day, only a few months back, now, Roxy finally pulled the car over when she could no longer hold in her tears. Kaye knew it could only be one of a few things, and they were all bad.

Roxy had slowly, through her sobs, explained what she knew of Kate's fate. A guy who had been after her for a while, now, had done the unthinkable. He had shot and killed Kate.

Any other adult talking to a child would have sugar-coated the situation. But not for Kaye. Kaye knew the terminology. She understood that her mother had been murdered in cold blood. Shot by a sniper from across several rooftops.

She also knew she would never see her mother again. Because of Kate's relationship with her family, Kaye was a secret. Kaye knew that. And she knew that she would not attend her mother's funeral. She had told her mother, "I love you", for the last time.

But that was months ago. She and Roxy had moved on; at least as much as one can move on from something like that. Kaye was smart, though. As time went on, she watched the reality of being a parent, rather than some odd form of an aunt, sink into Roxy's mind. She was no longer fun. She was stressed all the time. She knew it wouldn't last.

So when Roxy had announced that they were going to meet the famous "Gibbs", Kaye hadn't been as shocked as one might think an eight year old little girl would be.

Today would be the day. She knew that if she ever saw Roxy again, it would be a long time from now. Kaye would be living a different life; a life with people she didn't know, except through her mom's stories, and a life away from all she had ever known.

Roxy was still sleeping at 8:30 that morning. Kaye finally woke her once she had eaten and gotten dressed for the day. As Roxy scrambled to get ready before nine, Kaye placed her most beloved belongings into the last box.

The doorbell rang at 8:53.

*NCIS*NCIS*

After a very _short_ conversation with Roxy, Gibbs directed Tony and Abby to help move the boxes out to the car. There weren't many, as most of Kate's belongings were in storage across the city. Gibbs went up to Kaye's room to gauge how she was doing.

"Kaye?" He asked as he knocked on her doorframe.

She looked up. He could see a twinge of sadness and fear in her eyes, but it was nearly drown out by a determination he recognized that came straight from Kate.

"I'm ready."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Just get me out of here."

He nodded, lifting her prized box with care, as he followed her down the stairs.

When Kaye and Gibbs got downstairs, a collective gasp from Tony and Abby could be heard, and was silenced by a quick glare from Gibbs.

Abby had tears in her eyes. Standing before her, was Kate in miniature form. Long, chestnut brown hair fell around a sweet, round face. She had deep, chocolate eyes, that seemed to see all and know all. And when Kaye had decided they'd gawked at her long enough, her mother's trademark eyebrow quirked.

And that, that was when Tony laughed. He laughed hard. She was so Kate, it hurt. But it hurt in a good way. And when he laughed, Kaye knew, _this_ was the Tony her mom loved to talk about. _That_ was the Abby who got her mom to get a tattoo. _These_ were the people that her mom loved so much. And if her mom loved and trusted them, maybe it would be okay for her to do the same.

*NCIS*NCIS*

Reviews make me smile. :)


	6. Chapter 6

As Gibbs spoke with the lawyer and took care of all of the paperwork, Roxy and Kaye said their short goodbyes. When Kaye was finished with Roxy, she looked over to Abby and Tony, who were waiting slightly impatiently by Abby's hearse. In some ways, she felt like a fish in a bowl, but she guessed she understood. These people loved her mom, and she was a piece of Kate. With a confidence no eight year old should have, she strolled over to them.

"I'm Kaye, and you can stop staring. I know I look like my mom." She stated with a straight face.

Tony and Abby were taken aback for a moment, before Kaye smiled warmly. Abby grinned and bent down a little to Kaye's level.

"I'm Abby. I'm the science chick at NCIS."

"I know. Mom talked about you a lot." Kaye said with a smile. Mischievously, she continued, "You got her to get the tattoo. It was _SO _cool!"

Abby laughed. Yep, she would have no problem getting along with this kid.

"I got something for you. I don't know _how much_ your mom told you about me, but I have something that means a lot to me. And, well, I thought maybe you needed something to start this phase of your life with. Something that'll welcome you to the team." She said with a wink.

"What is it?" Kaye asked, excitedly. Tony stood, still mostly speechless, smiling down at his former partner's clone.

Abby leaned into the window of the car and retrieved a purple and black gift bag, and handed it to Kaye. Tearing into the present, Kaye gasped when she saw what it was.

"Is…Bert!"

Abby grinned with pride. "So your mom _did_ tell you lots about us!"

"_YEAH_ she did! Does he…I mean…she?" Abby nodded.

"I figured, maybe Bertha was an appropriate name…"

Kaye squeezed the hippo and squealed in delight at the rude noise it made. "Bertha's perfect!"

Gibbs chuckled as he heard the sound from across the driveway. He was happy they were getting along well. After all, these were now his _two_ most important girls.

Kaye finally turned toward Tony. She grabbed his hand and dragged him around to the opposite side of the car. He glanced worriedly at Abby, but she just smiled in return and nodded encouragingly.

"What's up, Bella?"

She gave him a confused look.

"Sorry. Bella. It's Italian. Means beautiful. I, uh…was kind of a secret nickname I had for your mom."

"She knew, you know."

Tony swallowed roughly, an unexplained lump forming in his throat. "What?"

"Mom. She knew you liked her. Said you used to flirt with her a lot. Said you party too much, though."

Tony looked away.

"But she also said you were really sweet underneath everything. She talked about you a lot. You made her smile."

With tears threatening to spill out of his eyes, he crouched down to Kaye. "You have no idea what that means to me, Kaye. Your mom was one special lady, and I miss her very much. You have a lot of her in you, and I don't just mean your looks. I hope that somehow, we can be friends."

Kaye just smiled at him and nodded. Then, with a forceful hug around his neck that he wasn't prepared for, she spouted, "But don't _ever_ call me Bella again."

He laughed heartily, his sadness magically disappearing. "Sure thing, Bell."

Yes. She was her mother's daughter.

*NCIS*NCIS*

With the papers all signed, the lawyer was on his way, stating that because of the way that Kate had handled everything, nothing more needed to be done, and Kaye was his. He thanked the man and turned to take his crew home.

An actual, very un-Gibbs-like grin broke out across his face when he saw Kaye on Tony's back, clutching Abby's gift, laughing at something the Goth had said. She would fit in just fine.

With a final goodbye to Roxy, Gibbs sent Tony and Abby along in Abby's car, telling them that he and Kaye would be along shortly in his. Kaye was admittedly a little nervous. While Abby dressed weirdly, she was happy and fun, just like Tony. They weren't scary at all. But Gibbs, well, Gibbs was a different story. She knew he wasn't mean, but he was intimidating. He spent a lot of time just staring silently. It didn't seem normal.

"You all buckled up?" Gibbs asked, while simultaneously checking Kaye's seatbelt.

"Yep." She murmured.

For the first few minutes, the ride was painfully silent. Kaye finally spoke up.

"Do you actually ever talk for more than five seconds?"

That was all it took. Gibbs let out a laugh. "Sometimes. Usually I have to waste all my breath on DiNozzo. He never shuts up. I'm either silent, or I'm trying to talk over him."

Kaye giggled. "Yeah, mom said he talks a lot. He seems nice, though."

"He is. Just don't let him near any of your single teachers."

Another brief moment passed, this time in a more comfortable silence.

"So, Kaye, tell me about yourself. What's your favorite color? What do you like to do in your spare time?"

"I like to read. And write. Oh, and I draw. I got that from mom. My favorite colors are purple and turquoise, and I'm kind of a geek."

"A geek? You haven't met Tim yet."

"I just mean…I go to that special school."

"I know. Who says that makes you a geek? Just makes you smart. Abby's smart, and she's not _exactly_ what I would call a geek."

Kaye laughed. "No, I guess not."

"So, who are your friends?"

Kaye was quiet for a second. "I don't really have any. I mean, there are people I spend time with when I'm at school, but I always just hung out with Mom and Roxy and their friends. I like adults. Kids are boring."

He laughed. "Well, I'm going to take you to meet the rest of the team-Ziva and McGee, Ducky and Palmer. Drop off the last of your stuff at my place, go for lunch, and then a very good friend of mine, Jenny, is going to help us go shopping for your room, okay?"

"I get to pick out stuff for my room?" Kaye asked, excitedly.

"It's a blank canvas, all for you. No paint, no decorations, no furniture. You and Jenny can pick it all, okay?"

"Cool! Thanks, Gibbs!" She paused, contemplating something. "Wait, is that what I'm supposed to call you? Gibbs?"

"Well, the full name's Leroy Jethro Gibbs. My father's the only one who can still get away with Leroy, very few still call me Jethro. Mostly, I'm Gibbs. You can call me whatever you want."

She thought for a moment. Maybe one day, whether he liked it or not, she'd even call him Dad. But for now, "Gibbs works."

"Gibbs it is."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thank you all SO much for the reviews. I really do love this story, and I hope to get it all out. Please bear with me in the awkward first year or so that I have to make it through to get to the good stuff. Have fun!

*NCIS*NCIS*

Kaye continued to tell Gibbs little bits about her life with Kate and Roxy. He was surprised at how open and comfortable she already seemed. When he lightly questioned her on it, she replied with simple logic.

"Mom loved you guys and she trusted you. So you are obviously okay. If mom liked you, I like you. End of story."

He smiled at her Kate-ness. Kate had always been straight and to the point, as well,

"So, we're going to NCIS. You can get a look at where your mom spent so much of the last two years. You'll probably end up around there a lot. I'll introduce you to McGee, Ducky, and Palmer, who all worked with your mom. You'll meet Ziva, too. She's new-"

Kaye cut him off, speaking softly, now. "Ziva took mom's place, didn't she?"

Gibbs pulled the car off to the side of the road and turned his attention completely on her. This was important. "_NOBODY _could ever replace your mom. Caitlin Todd was a talented agent, and an incredibly special woman. She was unique, and held her own place on the team-a place that will always be empty. It's a place that Ziva can't fill. Ziva is her own person, with her own role on the team."

He chose to leave Ziva's origins out of the conversation. He hoped that Kaye and Ziva would have a chance to bond _before_ Kaye found out about Ari.

Kaye was still awfully quiet, so Gibbs reached over and touched her hand. She looked up into his mysterious blue eyes. "I miss my mom. I don't always show it 'cause she always taught me to be strong, but I do miss her a lot."

"I'll tell you a secret. I miss her, too. A lot more than I'll ever show. Your mom meant a lot to me. She meant a lot to all of us. You'll find that with Abby, especially. If you ever need to talk about your mom, go find Abby. Abby looked at your mom like a big sister. Kate was so good with her. Abby will be able to tell you stories that I'm sure I'm better off living without." He said with a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

He got the response he desired when Kaye let out a light laugh. "Okay. Let's go meet everyone. Do I get to meet _Jen-ny_?" She snickered.

Gibbs rolled his eyes as he pulled back into traffic. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Just that I haven't even met _Jenny_ yet, and _Jenny_'s the one that's going to go shopping with us, and _Jenny_'s going to help with my room. Not Abby, not Ziva, not even _Tony_, who seems like he would know about decorating stuff."

Gibbs knew he was in trouble with this one. "Tony would fill your room with James Bond posters and he'd try to dress you in Hawaiian shirts like that Magnum guy. Ziva's color choices are limited to black, tan, and dark tan, and there's no way in hell that I'm letting Abby run loose with her styles in an eight year old's bedroom. You do not need to try to go to sleep with a glow in the dark skull alarm clock beside your bed."

Kaye laughed throughout his explanation. "Okay, and what's so great about _Jenny_'s style? Isn't she just another boring adult?"

"I wouldn't say that. She's just slightly more of a normal American woman."

"Fine. _Jen-ny_ it is."

Oh, was he in deep.

*NCIS*NCIS*

When they finally arrived at NCIS, Gibbs took Kaye straight up to the bullpen to meet McGee and Ziva. Ziva was away from her desk, but McGee was working away behind his computer screen. He was concentrating so hard that he didn't even notice them come in.

"Hey! Ma-Gee!"

Tim jumped in his seat. He _hated_ it when they did that. "Hey, Boss! What's…oh, hi."

Gibbs looked down at the small brunette beside him. She looked up and he nodded for her to go and talk to McGee. She walked over to McGee's desk, and stuck out her hand. McGee took it as she spoke.

"Hi. I'm Kaye. You knew my mother."

"Kaye, it's really great to meet you. Your, uh, mom…she was awesome. I miss her more than I ever thought I would. She was nice, and accepting of me, when I was new. I'm looking forward to getting to know you."

Kaye smiled sweetly, and motioned for him to come down to her level. He obeyed and crouched down. Kaye whispered in his ear. "Don't worry. I'll help you get back at Tony."

He stood up in surprise, a mild blush to his cheeks. "Uh, thanks?"

She nodded, then turned back to Gibbs and took his hand for the first time. He glanced down with a gentle smile at the action. "So? Which one was mom's desk?"

Gibbs led her over to what was now Ziva's workspace. Kaye trailed her fingers along the edge of the desk. Yes, it had once been Kate's place, but already, Kaye could sense it was no longer hers.

Just then, Ziva came around the corner. She stopped in her tracks, watching with sadness as Kaye inspected her desk, clearly hoping for traces of her mother. Ziva hoped that she and Kaye could have a good relationship. She had never known Kate, and although she had been upset that Ari had gone rogue and killed innocents, she never quite felt the pain of that loss until now. Now, she watched a sweet little child grasping at thin air for traces of her fallen mother. Ari had murdered this beautiful girl's mother, and she, herself, had taken the open spot on the team left by Kate's death.

Ziva never cried. It was against everything in her life-long training. But the reality of this situation; the hopeful gaze that Kaye was giving Gibbs; it hit her in a place she never knew existed. Deep in her heart, something cracked-something melted. She didn't even know she was crying until Gibbs looked up, told McGee to take Kaye for some juice at the vending machines, and moved over in front of her. She didn't know how much of a mess she had become until Gibbs, the man who never wanted her on the team in the first place, pulled her into a gentle embrace. She quickly wiped away her tears.

"I guess it is time for me to meet Kate's daughter." She said quietly.

"Guess so."

They met McGee and Kaye in the snack room, and Ziva almost timidly introduced herself.

"Hello, Kaye. My name is Ziva David. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Kaye tilted her head at her for a moment, before reaching out and shaking Ziva's outstretched hand.

"Hi." Kaye didn't know what else to say to the woman she knew nothing about. When Ziva looked somewhat sad at Kaye's limited reaction, Kaye called out to her once again.

"It's nice to meet you, too, Ziva. I hope you can be my friend." She said with a little smile.

Ziva responded with a 1000 watt grin.

*NCIS*NCIS*

Please Review!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thank you AGAIN for the reviews. I'm actually trying to work on this story, which is more than I can say for any other "attempt" at it before. Thanks for reading!

*NCIS*NCIS*

Gibbs decided it was finally time for Kaye to meet Jenny, so he took her hand and lead her up the stairs in the bullpen. Kaye laughed as he walked straight past Cynthia, paying her no attention, whatsoever, and burst into Jenny's office unannounced. With the way that both Cynthia, and now Jenny, reacted, this was clearly a common occurrence.

"Jethro! How many times must I _remind_ you that my door is just that-_a door_, and it should be TREATED as such?" The fiery redhead scolded from behind her desk without looking up.

"Jen, would you put down the damn paperwork for two seconds and look at me? I have someone for you to meet."

Immediately, Jenny dropped what she was doing and glanced up to see a sight she had only seen a handful of times in her life; it was a scene she had always wanted to see more of. Leroy Jethro Gibbs holding hands with a child, looking every bit the doting father. It was a sight that warmed her heart.

"I'm sorry, you'll have to get used to Gibbs' rudeness. My name is Jenny Shepard, and it is a pleasure to meet you, Kaye."

Kaye grinned at their antics. Yup, they _so_ had it bad for each other. Letting go of Gibbs' hand, she went over and shook Jenny's.

"Nice to meet you, too," Kaye said, pausing only for a second, before continuing in a playful tone. "…_Jen-ny_."

She looked back to Gibbs as she said this, earning her first glare, which only made her laugh harder.

"Gibbs likes you, you know."

Jenny met Gibbs eyes, laughing mischievously. "Is that so?"

Kaye left the question hanging in the air. "Can I look around your office?"

"Sure, sweetheart, just don't touch any of my papers, okay?"

"Mmkay."

Jenny moved over to Gibbs, and together they watched the curious little girl search the office.

"She's a lot like you, Jethro. Bold, with an attitude."

"She's not like me, Jen, she can't be. She isn't mine, no matter how much I might wish she was. She's Kate's. And she's like Kate. She has Kate's heart."

"Of course she's like Kate, Jethro. But believe it or not, I see you in her. You may not be her biological father, but it's like you've already been in her life, influencing her. Maybe you have more of an impact on your agents than you think you do."

Gibbs contemplated that idea for a moment while keeping his eyes trained on the little girl in front of him. Could Kate have somehow transferred things she'd learned from him to her daughter?

Jenny broke the elongated silence. "Well, I think that Kaye and I need to have a talk about what kinds of things we're looking for for this new bedroom of hers."

Kaye looked up excitedly.

Gibbs spoke. "Well, I don't think I need to be around to listen to a conversation about how many flowers you want on your walls, so I'll leave you two to it. Kaye, you going to be alright without me?"

"Of course!" She replied quickly. But, as Gibbs reached the door to leave, "Wait, where will you be…in case we need to ask you a question?"

Gibbs and Jenny shared a gentle look, acknowledging Kaye's veiled nervousness.

"I'll be right downstairs at my desk. I don't need to hear anything about purple flowers or lace curtains. Just tell me what furniture we need to buy and put together. And Jen-I am already down two arms and a leg in alimony, let's not lose me that last leg, alright?"

Jenny laughed. "We wouldn't want that, now would we? What would you have left for wife number four?"

He snarled as he walked away, Kaye chuckling in a way that reminded him far too much of Kate in the background. These two would clearly be the death of him. Great, and just wait for them to join forces with Abby.

Women. He was doomed.

*NCIS*NCIS*

"So, Kaye, talk to me. What colors are we looking for? Or do you want to go with some movie theme?"

Jenny sat at her desk, Kaye (surprisingly…she was already this comfortable?) on her lap, looking at the computer screen in front of them. Jenny had pulled up the web pages for her favorite home décor stores in the area. They were pre-shopping for everything an eight year old girl could ever want in a room: furniture, paint, art, bedding…everything.

Kaye was thrilled.

Most of her belongings had been sold when Kate died. There was no room for all of her stuff at Roxy's, and what was left of Kate's took up almost the whole storage locker across town. With the exception of a bin of toys and some old baby clothes, Kaye's only belongings were in the small amount of boxes that Tony and Abby had dropped off at Gibbs' house that morning.

Kaye didn't know it yet, but Jenny was planning on spoiling her completely rotten. Even if she had to pay for all of the crazy toys herself, Kaye's room would be filled with everything a child could want.

"Purple and turquoise. Not green-ey turquoise, though. More of a blue-ish turquoise. And dark purple."

"What else do you like?"

"Bright things," She grinned, looking back at Jenny. "and big flowers. Daisies. And I always…never mind."

Jenny urged her on. "Tell me what it is, Kaye."

"One of those princess beds. One with the big lace canopy. Our house was never big enough for one."

"I guess we'll have to see what we can do." Jenny smiled softly, taking a risk and hugging the girl to her. She was blissfully surprised when Kaye pressed back into her softly.

Kaye's life _hadn't_ been normal. Her mother didn't work a safe job. Her way of life had always been insecure. But Kate had been the constant. In the back of her mind, Kaye knew that she could lose her mother at any moment. In her eyes, Caitlin Todd was a superhero. She protected the world from the bad guys for her daughter.

When Kate had died, Kaye had not been as shocked as she maybe should have been. She missed her mother desperately, but she had known it was a possibility all along.

Kate had been the stability in Kaye's young life. She always answered her cell phone. She spent every second that she wasn't at NCIS with Kaye. Kate gave her whole heart to her little girl, and Kaye knew it.

Roxy was a good family friend. She was like a fun, yet distant aunt.

Sitting there in Jenny's lap, knowing that Gibbs, a man who already cared deeply about her was waiting for her downstairs, Kaye felt more secure and at home than she had since her mother had passed away.

She was home again.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: UGH! As you can tell, I am being stonewalled by my own creativity (or lack thereof, apparently). This chapter drove me to the brink of insanity, which, to be completely honest, isn't that far of a drive, but it bugged me nonetheless. I have all of this great material waiting around that for the most part can't be used until season 4 at the earliest. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, and these early chapters just don't flow. They're the setup chapters-the ones where you have to introduce the character, and they just plain suck. So, that's my little rant for the day. Here's chapter 9. Enjoy my agony. :P

*NCIS*NCIS*

About half an hour later, Jenny called down to Gibbs as she sent Kaye downstairs. She instructed him to go and take her to meet Ducky, and Palmer, if he was there, while she finished a few things before lunch.

Kaye wandered across the catwalk and looked down on the bullpen. There Gibbs sat, talking on the phone, playing with a pen on his desk. Next to him sat Ziva, at Kate's old desk. She was bent over her computer, obviously trying to get something done while dodging the paper balls Tony kept tossing at her from behind his desk. Kaye grinned. Guess this meant Abby was back, too. She laughed at Tony's antics. Glancing over at McGee, she noticed that every few seconds, he'd look up and smirk. Clearly, he was just happy to be out of Tony's firing range for the moment. When she looked back on Gibbs, he was staring up at her, a smile just barely tugging at the corners of his mouth. Kaye quickly skipped down the stairs to join them.

"Bella! How was your meeting with Madame Director?" He paused, as she came closer. He whispered, "Did she try to eat you alive?"

Kaye laughed at Tony, before climbing up onto his desk. "No. Jenny's very nice. She's going to take me shopping."

"Is that _SO_?"

Kaye whipped her head around to grin conspiratorially toward the ever-glaring Gibbs. "Shut it, DiNozzo. Or does your head need to become even _more_ acquainted with my hand?"

Tony straightened up and pretended to get back to work.

"Alright little girl, I have someone who is pretty anxious to meet you downstairs. You ready to meet Ducky?"

Kaye hopped over to him, immediately grabbing Gibbs hand and yanking. "Yes! Mom told me about Ducky. She said he tells lots and lots of stories. I really like stories."

Gibbs chuckled, (yes, chuckled! And the whole team noticed!) and lead her in the direction of autopsy. He had already called down to make sure there wasn't anything truly scarring down there at the moment, and Ducky said it was a straight-up, backlogged, paperwork day, so all was well for her visit.

Gibbs began to explain autopsy to Kaye as they made their way down.

"There are some rules about autopsy, okay? You are _never_ to go down their without me, Tony, Ziva, Abby, McGee, Ducky, Palmer, or Jenny. Got it?"

"Yes, Gibbs."

"Do you know what autopsy is for?"

"Yeah, Gibbs. I'm not four. Jeez! It's where you cut up the dead bodies to find out what happened to them."

Gibbs coughed roughly. "Uh, yeah. That's the _crude_ way of putting it. Ducky is the medical examiner. He's in charge down there. Palmer's his assistant."

"Got it."

"Alright. Here we are. Don't touch anything."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

As they exited the elevator, Gibbs rolled his eyes. Yupp, definitely Kate's.

The autopsy doors swished open, and Kaye could see an older man hunched over a desk on the side of the room.

"Ahh, that must be Miss Kaye," he said as he put down what he was working on and stood up. As he turned around, he continued. "I have been expecting you, my…_my DEAR!_"

Kaye smiled timidly. This seemed to be the reaction she was going to get from everyone who knew her mother.

"You are most definitely Caitlin's girl, aren't you?"

"That's what she told me all these years." Kaye said, smiling at the kind old man. "I'm Kaye, and I'm very glad to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine, dear. I have so much I could tell you about the short time I spent in the company of your mother. She _was_ a fiery one, I must say. Kept Anthony in line quite well." He chuckled. "There was this one time…"

"Duck," Gibbs interrupted. "This is a quick meeting, alright? You can have time to chat when I'm not around sometime later."

"Of course, Jethro. Well, it was wonderful to meet you, Kaye. I hope to see you very soon."

Before Kaye could say anything, Gibbs cut in yet again. "You will. Lunch in 30 at the diner down the street. Everyone will be there."

"Sure thing, Jethro. I'll just pack up things, here."

"Where's Palmer?" Gibbs asked.

"I sent him up to Abby with some evidence, and then he was supposed to be going to get some papers signed by you, actually. He probably got held up in the lab, again."

"Right. See you in a few."

Kaye quickly hugged a surprised, but thrilled, Ducky, and then ran to catch up with Gibbs. As she bolted into the elevator behind him, she reached up and grabbed his hand.

"Where to, now, Gibbs?"

"We're going to Abby's lab." He said as he flipped open his cell.

*NCIS*NCIS*

When the elevator doors opened, Kaye bolted out toward the overwhelmingly loud music emanating from Abby's lab.

"Abby?" She yelled over the noise.

"Kaye! Hey! What are you doing down here?" Abby asked after shutting off the music.

Behind Abby stood an awkward-looking younger man. Gibbs walked in.

"Here to meet Palmer. _And_ get him BACK ON TRACK."

Jimmy winced at his tone.

As Abby and Gibbs spoke in another corner of the room, Kaye walked over to Palmer and stuck out her small hand. "Hi. I'm Kaye."

"I'm Jimmy…Palmer…you can call me whichever."

After a few seconds' pause, Kaye spoke again. "What, you're not going to gawk and say I look like my mom?"

"I-uh, didn't really know your mom too well. I guess you do look like her, though. Is, uh, that what you wanted to hear?"

Kaye laughed. "Actually, it's kinda nice. Everyone I meet keeps staring at me. I'm not my mom."

"Well," he responded, as he crouched down. "I suppose that because they all knew your mom pretty well, and they miss her a lot, they see you as a connection to her. They've barely talked about her since they caught her killer, and now they have you. I guess, to them, you are a piece of your mom that they still get to see every day. I think you're kind of like a miracle to them."

"Hmmm. I guess being a miracle's not so bad." Kaye said with a grin. "Well, it was nice to meet you, but you should probably get back to work. Gibbs seemed pretty serious about that."

"Yeah. He's uh, pretty much always like that."

"Not with _me_ so far."

"Consider yourself lucky."

As Gibbs glared over once more, Jimmy grabbed his papers and handed them to Gibbs. He quickly signed them, and sent Jimmy on his way. As he left, Gibbs shouted, "Lunch. Go with Ducky."

Jimmy quickly nodded and climbed into the elevator.

When Gibbs glanced back, the sight before him warmed his heart. There they were-his two girls-giggling and chatting like they had always known each other.

Kaye would fit in just fine with their little makeshift family; he had no doubt.

*NCIS*NCIS*

Next chapter: Shopping!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Well, another chapter up. I know that I'm terrible for updating, but being in full time college during the year, and full time work during the summer, I really never have the time to write, anymore. This story won't leave me alone, though. I wish I could skip faster over the earlier years, as I have so many ideas for Kaye as she gets older, but if I ever do manage to get this up and running the way I'd like, I want to do it right. So, thank you to anyone taking the time to read this, even though I'm terrible at updating. My hope is that even if it's a long time between updates, you'll keep Kaye in the back of your mind, so that when I do manage to get more of this story up, you'll still be excited to read about her.

*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*

After an entertaining lunch, Gibbs and Jenny sent the rest of the team home to sleep and took Kaye shopping on their own, much to Abby's dismay. Gibbs could see that the team was exhausted. The only consolation Gibbs would give her was that she could come straight over to his place as soon as she had slept for at least a good four to six hours.

Jenny had written out a list of places she wanted to take Kaye on their little shopping trip. Gibbs had taken one look at it and rolled his eyes. He immediately made Jenny cut the list in half, going from six separate stores to three.

For the first hour or so of the trip, Kaye had remained rather quiet, not wanting to ask for too much. Her mother hadn't been a wasteful person, always wanting to save as much money as she could for Kaye's future, and Roxy just hadn't had the money to spend. As they walked past the seventh bedroom furniture set, Gibbs finally stopped them.

"Kaye, have you seen _anything_ you've liked so far?" He asked as he crouched down to her level.

"Uhm, I guess so, yeah…" she trailed off.

Jenny became worried, as well, and spoke. "Kaye, sweetheart, we want you to choose whatever you'd like. This is going to be _your_ bedroom. We want you to make it your own."

Kaye still looked a little nervous. She looked at the ground and mumbled, "I just don't want to pick something too expensive."

Gibbs quickly reached across and tipped the girl's chin up. "It's _never_ your job to worry about money. Got it? That's _my_ job. _Your_ job is to pick out whatever you think would look good in your bedroom."

Kaye smiled in return and nodded. As Gibbs straightened up, she grabbed not only his hand, but Jenny's, as well, skipping along between them.

*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*

Four hours, three stores, and a painful credit card bill later, Gibbs pulled in with a truckload of furniture, linens, electronics, and toys, all suited for an eight year old girl. Jenny and Kaye ran to the house, giggling like little children, both of them, along the way. As Jenny swung the unlocked door open, he smiled on, thrilled at how well they were getting along, and made a mental note that it was time to start locking that door, again. With the exception of the nights that Abby slept over, he hadn't had a good reason to lock that door in years, but he sure did, now.

Throughout the shopping trip, he had begun to take in little bits of information about Kaye. She wasn't just smart for her age; she had a noticeable maturity about her, as well. She was outgoing toward himself, Jenny, and obviously, the team, but she knew not to be so friendly to strangers. She seemed, so far, a generally happy child, and loved things that one would expect an eight year old girl to love, but she hated things that were too girly, especially pink. She had energy - that was for sure. He would have to get used to that again.

Kaye took after her mother in more ways than he had originally thought. She was artsy, begging for an easel and paints. He just couldn't say no to that face. Another thing she had in common with her mother. On the job, Kate was part of the team, and he treated her as such, but in the few times that the team had spent together outside of work in the two years that Kate had been with them, he found himself unable to deny her. She was a sweet woman, and though he was sure Abby wondered, he could never and would never be able to put his finger on how he saw her.

Abby was his daughter, Tony his son. Tim was still rather distant, but he saw him stepping into a role similar to Tony's one day. Kate, however, Kate wasn't romantic, but she wasn't quite a daughter or sister, either. Watching her daughter, now, he didn't feel the need to try and define how he had seen Kate.

"Gibbs, can we paint my room, now? Pleeeeeeease?" Kaye begged.

"Sorry, kiddo. We can set your bed up, but I think you'll have to wait until the weekend for the painting to happen. The team can come over and help, but I don't want you in there with all of the fumes."

"But," Kaye turned and looked at Jenny. "Aren't you his boss? Can't you give them all the day off? Please? Please, please please!"

Gibbs rolled his eyes.

"Actually, Jethro. I think she's right. Your team doesn't need to stick around for the rest of the week. I already have you all off rotation, except Abby, of course. But if she can find someone that she won't complain about to replace her for the rest of the week, I think I can spring you all. I can even come in in the evenings."

"Yay! Awesome!" Kay screeched, causing both adults to wince. She ran over to hug Jenny.

Gibbs smirked. "You sure, Jen?"

Catching the girl in a hug, she smiled genuinely. "Yes, of course. Call your team, let them know that the big bad Madame Director is setting them loose."

As Kaye let go of Jenny, she started skipping around the room, searching through all of the bags excitedly.

"Naw, you can be the hero. You let them all know. Tell DiNozzo, McGee, and Ziva that they can go home and change, and then I want them here to get painting. We might as well get this done tonight, if possible."

"Alright. I'll head back to the office and let them know. I'll stop by tonight?" she asked, unsure.

"Yeah. Can you tell Abby to pick up our steak night usuals? She'll know what you mean. Tell her to get enough for 9 or 10."

"Sure. See you later. Bye Kaye!"

"Bye, Jenny! See you at dinnertime!"

Jenny smiled as she closed the front door behind her.

Gibbs turned to Kaye.

"Well, little girl, I guess it's just you and I now. What would you like to do?"

Kaye hummed and hawed for a moment. "Can we set up my bed and dresser and stuff? I know it has to go in the middle of the room until it's all painted, but then it will be all ready to go when it's done! Then can we watch a movie?"

Gibbs smiled. He was glad that Jenny had talked him into getting one of those DVD players. And he still had that big TV down in the basement that Abby and Tony had gotten him last Christmas. He let them pull it up when they were over, but it was otherwise unused. His usual TV was so old it didn't even have a hookup for one of those contraptions, but he figured it was about time he pulled the newer one up for good. He now had an eight year old girl who loved movies almost as much as Tony did. They had picked up a few discs while they were out, but he figured that he'd let Tony take her shopping for more. As it was, he was now the ever so proud owner of some fish film about finding a Nemo, whatever the hell that was, The Parent Trap, and not even the one that Kelly had once liked – it was some new thing with a couple of redheaded kids, and something called Toy Story.

"Alright, we can do that. Let's go up to your new room. You can figure out where you want to put everything. Then we'll move the good TV up and I'll set you up with a movie while I start building your furniture. The team should be over not too long from now, and we'll all have dinner together. Sound good?"

"Yep!"

As Gibbs lead the way up the stairs, his stomach began to knot just the smallest bit. He realized that this was going to be the first time since Kelly had been killed that a child would be in that room. He was sure that the pink hue of the walls had probably raised questions from the team, but he also knew they were smart enough to keep their traps shut. Now another little girl was going to make memories in the room at the end of the hall. While he wished Kelly had been the one to call it hers all of these years, he was happy that Kaye would make it all her own, now.

He snapped out of his thoughts as they reached the door.

"Is that it, Gibbs?" Kaye asked, looking at the door he had stopped in front of.

"Sure is. Go ahead, check out your new space."

Kaye grinned. She had had a nice room with her mom, but Roxy's house was tiny, and her room had been Roxy's old office. It was a simple tan color, and there was only one very small window. It barely fit her bed and a few toys, too.

Kaye opened the door, in awe at what her eyes were taking in. It was beautiful! And so big! There would be plenty of room for her princess bed, her dresser, her brand new desk, a couple of bookshelves, and all the toys she could imagine! She stepped into the room. Okay, the pink had to go, but other than that it really was awesome! The door was on the left side of the room, right in the middle. That wall and the one parallel were quite long, much longer than the other two, forming a nice, rectangular room. Directly across from the door was a large window seat set right into the wall. It had a faded cream and pink patterned pillow on it, and cream lace curtains hung from all of the windows. Looking to her left, she saw the second window, a smaller one this time. To her right was a blank wall. As she went farther into the room toward the smaller window, she found a small walk in closet, painted a faded purple inside. She ran out of the closet screeching at Gibbs seconds later.

"Gibbs! Gibbs! What's that little door in there?!"

Gibbs thought for a second. Little door…in the closet? Oh RIGHT!

"Sorry, I forgot about that. That used to be…" he paused. He wasn't sure he wanted to tell her all about Kelly, yet. "That's a secret room. You can use it, but I need to clean it out first. I'll do it when I set up your bed. It's all yours, though. It can be a clubhouse, or secret hideout, if you'd like."

"That's so cool! I have a treehouse in my room!"

Gibbs laughed at that. All of the things that he thought he'd never do again, such as building a treehouse in the backyard, hanging a tire swing, buying Cinderella dolls…here he was, all these years later, right back where he had been before. While he knew that he was probably still in a state of shock, he was truly happy to have the chance to be a father, again.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Here's another one! I'm excited to get this show on the road, now that Kaye's all moved in. We'll start skipping chunks of time from this point on. I'll hit on some of the bigger, team-centered, episodes, more than others. Of course the next few episodes after Honor Code are those types (Under Covers, Frame Up, Probie, and Boxed In), so the next few chapters will be following the next couple of weeks in their lives, but after that we'll skip along at a faster pace. Enjoy!

NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS

Two days of sleeping on the couch and being banned from her new room had made Kaye antsy at best. She was bored with the couple of movies that she and Jenny had picked out, and even games that Abby had downloaded onto her laptop for Kaye were getting boring. The only good thing had been that the whole team was constantly around. She had gotten to know most of them a little better. Abby and Tony were pretty easy. They had been closest to her mom, so they seemed the most interested in spending time with her. McGee had been shyer, it seemed. He would come and talk to her only when she was alone or with Abby. Ducky didn't really like to talk with her, he just liked to tell stories, which for the most part, was fine with her. Ziva had been giving Kaye a pretty wide berth, though. She even seemed to avoid eye contact at times. Kaye would catch Ziva looking at her, but the minute she noticed, Ziva would look away.

Tony was simple. Well, on the surface, anyways. On the outside, it was movies, jokes, and girls. On the inside, though, she suspected, there was a lot more.

Abby loved everything. She loved science, of course. She loved her family in New Orleans, and her family at NCIS. She loved animals, church, the nuns, and bowling. She loved to make up stories about Bert and Bertha, and she loved to hang out with Kaye. Kaye appreciated that Abby never talked down to her like she was a child.

McGee liked computers, and he was hopelessly in love with Abby. That was all that Kaye had really figured out about him so far.

Gibbs and Jenny were like an old married couple who kind of hated each other even though they loved each other. They fought like cats and dogs some times, but others, Kaye would catch them so close that if caught, they looked like kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Gibbs was the clear father figure to Tony and Abby, especially. Tim kind of looked at him like he was either scared or in awe of his mentor. And Ziva clearly hadn't fully found her place on the team, yet. Gibbs was fiercely protective. Abby had mentioned an ex-boyfriend at one point, and Kaye could see the steam coming out of Gibbs' ears. Plus, before she had been allowed to go to bed on the first night, Gibbs had gone and bought, and installed, a second deadbolt for the front door, along with one for the back door. She understood safety, but two deadbolts and a handle lock on each door was a bit of overkill. Jenny was spunky and fierce. She knew how to get her way, especially with Gibbs, but it never happened without a fight. More often than not, you could hear the two of them bickering about anything and everything. Most of the time, they left the conversation with a smirk on their respective faces, but once in a while, one of them stormed off in one direction, and the other followed suit in the opposite way. Kaye found them completely fascinating and hilarious.

Kaye sat, bored, pondering all of these things that she had learned about the people around her as she sat on the back porch. It was getting dark and chilly out, and she was sure Gibbs would call her in soon. The last thing that Kaye wanted was to go and watch Finding Nemo again. Nemo was cool, and all, but after a while, it became very old.

"Kaye? Time to come inside!" Gibbs hollered from the kitchen.

_Right on cue_, Kaye thought.

"Coming!" Kaye slowly rose from her position and headed into the kitchen, where she was promptly grabbed from behind and had her eyes covered. She screamed at the shock of it.

"Chill, Bella. We've just got a surprise for you."

Kaye calmed down at the soothing sound of Tony's voice. His was one of the first that she had learned to recognize. She felt herself being led around, until they reached what she suspected were the stairs.

"Okay, Bella, I don't want you to fall, so cover your eyes, and I'll carry you up, okay?"

"To-neeeey," she whined.

"Hey. Surprise. Fun. Remember? Cover your eyes."

"Fine," she grumbled good naturedly.

Tony removed his hands from her eyes, and she promptly covered them, herself, playing along with his game. She squealed as she felt herself being swung off the ground and over his shoulder. She giggled as he reached up and quickly tickled her side.

"Up we go." Tony said, a smile evident in his voice.

Abby had persuaded the team to gather in the hallway outside of Kaye's room. They had all worked really hard, and it was finally finished. Every wall was meticulously painted in the bright turquoise, white, and dark purple hues that Kaye had chosen. Each piece of furniture was assembled, and was in its place. Kaye's double sized canopy bed (A bit of a surprise, for her, as she thought she was getting a normal twin sized bed. Gibbs had thought a little bit farther ahead, though. She would be a teenager in not too many years and would want a larger bed. Plus, if Abby slept over, he wouldn't have to pull out the old mattress in the upstairs hallway closet that she and Tony took turns sleeping on more often than they would like to admit.) was completely assembled, and was very much the focus of one end of her room. Her clothes were folded in drawers or hung in the closet. Books of every shape, size, and length, were arranged on her bookshelf, and toys and stuffed animals were put away on shelves, in corners, and on the bed. It really was a little girl's heaven. Even her "indoor treehouse" had been emptied of many of Kelly's old treasures, cleaned, painted, and filled with pillows and a decorative lamp.

Tony stood Kaye outside of her new room and told her to open her eyes. The door was closed, but as she looked around, the whole team nodded excitedly, telling her to open the door.

Kaye couldn't believe it! They had really finished?! She thought about taking her time and enjoying the buildup, but the real child side of her won out, and she whipped the door open, bolting around the room, taking it all in. She squealed like only an eight year old girl could, as she saw her perfect haven. A massive bed, too many toys to count, clothes in her closet, and Bertha front and center on her bed. She even discovered that there was a computer on her desk! She stopped at the pink laptop and gently ran her fingers over the edge of it. Gibbs came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"You're smart, Kaye, and you go to s special school. You do more work than most kids, and I thought this might help with that. There are rules, of course. No internet in your room, and you have to put it away when I ask you to, but other than that, it's yours."

Kaye turned and looked up at him in awe. She had read enough books to know that if she was older, she probably would have cried, but she was just shocked. She did the only thing she could think of, and darted toward him, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you so much, Gibbs. Thank you for everything," she whispered so that only he could hear it.

Gibbs just smiled gently down at the little girl who had lost so much. A laptop and a bedroom that she loved were the least that he could do. "You're welcome Kaye. Why don't you look around your room, maybe decide what else you need for the clubhouse? You need to get to bed soon, but I think we can extend tonight's bedtime a bit."

Kaye grinned, letting go of him as she began flitting from one item to the next, checking drawers and decorative storage bins, to see all of the goodies in them. They didn't even get most of this stuff on their shopping trip!

"Thanks, Gibbs!"

The team, who had gathered in her doorway to watch her reaction, filtered out of the room. Gibbs followed close behind, taking one last look at the excited girl as he shut her bedroom door behind him. Most of the team had started downstairs already, but Abby waited for him in the hallway. She fit herself into his side as she so often did, his arm automatically wrapping around her shoulders as her arm wrapped around his waist.

"She's going to be great, here, Gibbs. I love her so much, already!"

Gibbs' eyes crinkled as he looked down at his surrogate daughter, admitting something to her that he wouldn't say to anyone else in the world, yet. "Me too, Abbs. I love her already, too."


End file.
